Angle-cock.



PAETENTED DEG.12,1905.

' P. D. HILDEBRAND.

' ANGLE COCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2, 1905.

L 13 6 0 a? m l M a a ,7 l 6 2 1 i may,

INVENTOR:

WITNEESES:

nection with air-hose between cars.

i l I EU fiTTES EN r OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed March 2, 1905. Serial No. 2480 .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRERIoH D. HILDE- BRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Angle-Cocks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to and its object is to provide an automatic angle-cock and airbrake safety device.

My invention is designed to dispense with the necessity for manually opening and closing the angle-cocks at each end of the cars in a train provided with air-brakes, also to furnish a construction which will regulate the air-pressure in the train-line, preventing undue pressure and preventing the sliding of wheels, with the familiar accompanying damage and loss.

My invention is also designed to furnish a cheap, simple, durable, and efficient automatic device by which when a break occurs anywhere in the line of airpipe or air-hose the escape of the compressed air will invariably be so arrested that the stop of the separated parts of the train, and especially that part forward of the breakin the line, will be gradual, giving the engineer time to control his brakes and; if necessary, to get out of the Way of the oncoming detached rear portion of the train.

I attain these objects by means of the devices and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and shown, and illustrated in the single figure of the accompanying drawing,

which represents my device in central longitudinal sectional elevation.

In the drawing, 1 is a casing designed to take the place of the ordinary angle-cock, having at one end a threaded .portion 2 for connection with the train-line pipe and at its other end a threaded portion 3 for con- In the bottom of the casing 1 is tapped an opening 4, threaded for the reception of the correspondingly-threaded end of a on p-shaped piece 5. Across the passage in the casing l is a partition 6, through which is an opening 7, the margin of which is formed as a valveseat 8.

9 is a hollow plunger which fits in such manner as to reciprocate in the chamber of the cup-shaped piece 5. The piece 9 is open at both ends, the upper end being threaded exteriorly, the lower end being threaded interiorly. Over the top of the piece 9 is secured a cap 10, formed as a valve to fit the valve-seat 8. Through the center of the piece 10 is a vertical opening 11, the interior part of which is formed as a valve -seat 12. Through the side walls of the piece 9 are orifices 13 13. The lower end of the hollow piece 9 is closed with screw-plug 14, having through its center an orifice 15. Interposed between the bottom of the cup-shaped piece 5 and the bottom of the plunger 9 is a spring l6,'which holds the plunger normally elevated and the valve 10 closed. In the outer surface of the part 9 is a circumferential channel in which is a packing-ring 17 In the hollow of the plunger 9 is a recipro: eating valve 18, which by means of spring 19, interposed between the screw-plug l4 and a shoulder on the valve, keeps the orifice 11 normally closed.

20 is a packing-ring for the valve 18. This valve is at its top greatly reduced to afford a considerable area just below the orifices 13. These orifices at all times maintain communication between the air-line and the interior of the plunger 9 above the valve 18.

The tension of the spring 16 is such that it requires, say, about fifteen pounds pressure to the square inch on top of the plunger to open the valve 10. The tension of the spring 19,

which may be adjusted by means of the screwplug 14, is such that it requires above seventy pounds pressure (the ordinary train line pressure) to the square inch to open the valve 18.

The operation of my device is a follows: Assume that the casing 1 is connected up with the train-line pipe and the air-hose. Now if the air is admitted into the anglecock through the lair-hose end a pressure of about fifteen pounds per square inch on the face of the main valve will compress the spring 16, and the valve will be opened and will remain open as long as the pressure of fifteen pounds and upward is maintained in the line. If air is admitted from the trainpipe and of the angle-cock, the air will pass through ports 13, and the train-pressure of about seventy pounds per square inch on the face of the inner valve will compress the spring 19 and open'port 11. The air now passing through ports 13 and 11 produces a pressure on the face of the main valve, which causes it to open and to remain'open as long as this pressure is maintained on its face. To automatically close the angle-cock, simply part the air-hose and relieve the pressure on the face of the main valve, and it will instantly be closed by the pressure of spring 16 and the rush of the escaping air. It will be seen that the coupling together of the cars in a train and the admission of air to the trainline from the engine automatically opens all the angle-cocks and that the disconnection of the air-hose coupling instantly automatically closes the two nearest angle-cocks. It will also be observed that the rear angle-cock on the rear car of a train is held automatically closed, for the reason that there is insufiicient pressure on the face of the main valve to open it. This angle-cock is therefore never opened except when there is excessive pressure in the train-line. In such case the valve 18 is automatically opened just sufficient to properly reduce the pressure. Should an airhose be broken or should any break or serious leak occur in the train-line, the pressure upon the face of the main valves nearest the break will be instantly reduced, so that the valves will instantly close, preventing the undue escape of air and the setting of the brakes.

The ad vantages of my device are- First. That the manual operation of cutting in and "cutting out the air at the angle-cocks is dispensed with; this operation being automatically performed, as above described. This overcomes the objection that the angle-cocks are sometimes forgotten or thehandles are turned into improper position, the result being that when the train arrives at a stopping-place the air-brakes fail to work, sometimes causing great damage to person and property.

Second. It'sometimes happens that engineers leave their brake-valves in full release position too long and charge the trainline with excessive pressure of air instead of the correct working pressure, and when the brakes are next applied the car-wheels are gripped so tightly by the brakes that the Wheels are caused to slide and to wear flat, thus causing the destruction and loss of the wheels, as well as injury to the rails and the detention of trains. With my angle-cock all the air-pressure in the train-line over seventy pounds per square inch or other predetermined pressure is discharged to the atmosphere through the rear angle-cock in the train, thus maintaining correct pressure and saving car-wheels.

Third. In case the train parts my automatic angle-cocks will automatically close nearest where the break occurs, giving the engineer ample opportunity to control the forward part of the train and to thus prevent the two parts from coming together with the familiar.

disastrous results accompanying such collisions.

In hi gh-speed trains, where greater air-pressures are maintained than in trains running at ordinary speeds, the spring-pressures of my automatic angle-cock may be adjusted to meet the requirements of the case.

If it should be deemed desirable to apply my device at some other point in the trainline than at the ends of the care where the airhose sections are coupled. it will be obvious that this may be readily accomplished by merely changing the air-hose end of my device to a horizontal position instead of the inclined position indicated in the drawing.

Other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and I do not, therefore, limit my invention to the specific construction here illustrated.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a device of the described character, an air-conduit, a valve-seat in the conduit, a hollow valve in operative relation with said valveseat, a spring for said valve, a second valve disposed within said first-mentioned valve and in operative relation with an opening through said first-mentioned valve, and a spring for said second valve, said two springs being differently tensioned.

2. An angle-cock comprising an angle-cock casing adapted for connection with a trainline and having a divided air-passage therethrough, a spring-controlled valve for one part of the air-passage, and another springcontrolled-valve for the other part of the airpassage, the springs for said two valves being differently tensioned.

3. In a device of the described character, a casing adapted for connection in a train alrline and having an air-passage therethrough, a valve in said air-passage arranged to open by a predetermined pressure upon one side thereof, and devices for opening said valve by means'of a different pressure upon the other side of said valve.

4- In a device of the described character, a I

casing having therethrough an air-passage adapted at one end for engagement with an air-pipe and at its other end for engagement with an air-hose, and two valves in said casing, one of said valves being arranged to open at a pressure greater than service-pressure, the other of said valves being arranged to open at a less pressure than service-pressure.

5. A combined automatic angle-cock and. air-brake safety device, comprising an anglecock casing adapted at one end for connection with a train-line and the other end for connection with an air-hose, a valve-seat in the airpassage through said casing, a hollowplunger in said casing having apertures through its side walls, a valve on said plunger in operative relation. with said valve-seat and having" closed, one of said springs being of greater a central orifice therethrough, a spring which tension than the other. 10 holds the valve normally closed, a second plun- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in ger within the chamber of the plunger first presence of two witnesses.

mentioned, a valve on the second plunger in FRERICH D. HILDEBRAND. operative relation with theorifice through the Witnesses:

first-mentioned valve, and a spring which N. E. MALLAHAN,

holds the valve on the second plunger normally M. L. MARKS. 

